Hermitage Hit By Tornado Sunday, NWS Confirms

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – A tornado touched down in Hermitage Sunday, the National Weather Service confirmed.

It happened 30 years to the day a tornado hit the same area.

The NWS say it touched down around 4 p.m. near the Sheetz gas station at Routes 18 and 518. Part of the canopy was torn off by the tornado.

Officials say it traveled approximately 1.1 miles.

Several wood fences were also torn apart by the tornado and a pickup truck was moved and knocked onto its side. Fortunately no one was injured.

Over the decades, May 31 has often been one of the most severe weather days in Western Pennsylvania.

And on May 31, 1985 one of the worst tornado outbreaks in US history tore through Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Canada.

A dozen people were killed and several homes were destroyed.

The community has since rebuilt – including St. Lawrence Catholic Church, which now stands as a monument of resilience in Albion.

Albion wasn't the only hard-hit area that day.

Wheatland, Mercer County also sustained heavy damage. Seven people died in Wheatland.

KDKA's Sarah Arbogast Reports:

Also on May 31, 1998, a tornado touched down in Somerset County.

A 13-year-old girl was killed and 15 others were injured when the tornado hit the town of Salisbury and destroyed two dozen homes.